Eminem & Royce Da 5’9″, ‘Lighters’ Feat. Bruno Mars – Song Review

Eminem and Royce Da 5'9" are reteaming in their Bad Meets Evil project after splitting in the early '00s, and their first taste of their renewed collab is 'Lighters,' where all that badness and evilness is tempered by some honeyed pop crooning, thanks to a guest spot from Michael Jackson's heir apparent, Bruno Mars!

'Lighters,' which will appear on 'Hell: The Sequel' EP out June 14, starts out as a typical, power pop ballad that Mars has become known for, with his neo- Jackson voice. He coos "All I want to see is a sky full of lighters."

Then Eminem's edgy, hard, hyper-fast, nasally raps come in and assert themselves, cussing over the melody that once cradled Mars' buttery crooning. Mars again sings the chorus, with Royce Da 5'9" offering up the next verse, dropping lyrical science, making references to LeBron James and saying "I remember when T-Pain ain't wanna work with me."

The song is a beautiful and effective marriage of the hard and the soft, the tough and the sensitive, the bravado and the bashful. Mars is the yin to the Em/Royce yang. Contrast is the key here and the trio offers it up in spades.

Remember when Mars told Tyler the Creator -- of The Odd Future rap collective -- he'd have to wait in line to do the deed? Mars may have built his reputation on easy, pretty pop tunes, but he holds his own with these two rap titans on 'Lighters.'